I am currently in the process of setting up a new tank,( marineland DD 200 gallon) and I've heard some good things about T5 lighting as the only light source. just Curious to know how many members have T5 lighting as their only light source. what size tank and livestock. Post some pics of your setup .
Who has T5 lighting? what size tank?
- Thread starter Alex
- Start date
I run T5 on my 90g SPS dominated. Check my gallery for pics. Or you can check ReefCentral.com there are many beautiful tanks that run T5. It all comes down to energy cost, heat, and your preference (the shimmer).
NIGHTCRAWLER
Advanced Reefer
- Location
- centereach
i run T5's on my tank, 225 gal with zoa's,organ pipe,ric's, kenya's,couple different types of star polyp's, galaxea, xenia,frogspawn, and anemones. all are growing great.
- Location
- Flushing, NY
I have all T5's on my 75g.
I wouldn't necessarily say its lower wattage then MH or heat, it really depends on your tank. I have six 4' bulbs overdriven to 80W each = 480W which is just about the same as 2x250W MH.
As for heat, the heat is just spread across the length of the bulbs instead of a single spot.
I wouldn't necessarily say its lower wattage then MH or heat, it really depends on your tank. I have six 4' bulbs overdriven to 80W each = 480W which is just about the same as 2x250W MH.
As for heat, the heat is just spread across the length of the bulbs instead of a single spot.
- Location
- poughquag, ny
agreed, i am a t5 fan, ran them on all my tanks except for current tank, but i did get the current 6 bulb t5 20" for my nano
Basically you are getting the same lighting without the shimmer of the MH.
how are you keeping your bulbs cool? Are you using icecap 660 ballasts for the over driven bulbs? how do you know the wattage on an overdriven bulb?
- Location
- Howard Beach NY
I have a 6 bulbs T5 on my 50 breeder... I have sps and a clam.. clam is in the middle of the tank..check my gallery
Alex
For an awesome looking t5 tank on reefcentral check out SunnyX's thread in the sps keepers forum
He also has a website www.rimlessreef.com and has some very useful advice
His metal halide tank was totm and he has switched to t5s
For a fixture that overdrives the bulbs I would check out the solarflare
You should be able to get specs on overdriving the bulbs with the icecap ballasts
I'm serioulsy considering t5s but it all depends on your preference
For an awesome looking t5 tank on reefcentral check out SunnyX's thread in the sps keepers forum
He also has a website www.rimlessreef.com and has some very useful advice
His metal halide tank was totm and he has switched to t5s
For a fixture that overdrives the bulbs I would check out the solarflare
You should be able to get specs on overdriving the bulbs with the icecap ballasts
I'm serioulsy considering t5s but it all depends on your preference
- Location
- Flushing, NY
I have a 16" fan blowing inside my canopy keeping the bulbs from getting too hot. The bulb life would shorten drastically without it. Yes, I'm using an IC660 for 4 bulbs, and an IC430 for another 2 bulbs. I know the wattage because I plugged it into a Kill-a-watt meter to see how much energy its drawing.
Alex, I did have a retro on my 210 i had 8 bulbs 6 were overdriven. like you i am currently working on my Marineland DD 300g and plan on staying the same with t5s. only i will be doing 10 80w t5's personally i like the T5s everything grew and the lighting was more intense if you want that shimmering look add some leds with the lighting and you will get that effect i think i will do that myself. wiith a 6ft long canopy i had 4 fans blowing into the canopy didnt really have situation with the heat
I'm planning a 12 bulb retro icecap, with three 660 ballasts. Is this overkill?
I plan on having 4 bulbs for dawn, two hours later 4 more bulbs in addition, then 4 more bulbs to simulate the noon hours for about 4 hours then the reverse.
what does everyone think.
I plan on having 4 bulbs for dawn, two hours later 4 more bulbs in addition, then 4 more bulbs to simulate the noon hours for about 4 hours then the reverse.
what does everyone think.
- Location
- Flushing, NY
12 doesnt sound like overkill but you are making the lighting intense all the time also the very front and back of the tank normally doesn't matter much. Also go with the SLR reflector so much worth it in growth
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